DIPLOMACY
It was bound to happen.
At the crossroads of Uzbekistan’s changing global presence and the increasingly visible voice of its Bukharian Jewish diaspora, two prominent women finally found themselves in the same room.
Chagit Sofiev Leviev, president of the Bukharian Jewish Congress USA & Canada and CEO of Leviev Group USA, met Saida Mirziyoyeva, head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan, at United Nations Headquarters in New York during the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Mirziyoyeva, the daughter of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, represented Uzbekistan at this year’s General Assembly. Sofiev Leviev attended at the invitation of Ambassador Ulugbek Lapasov, Uzbekistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, who was also present.
Their meeting was brief and warm, but rich in symbolism: two women with deep ties to Uzbekistan, each carrying forward a formidable family legacy while forging a public identity and leadership role of her own—Mirziyoyeva in government and foreign affairs, and Sofiev Leviev in business and community.
The conversation touched on the generations-old bond between Uzbekistan and the Bukharian Jewish community and the importance of carrying that relationship into the future. The two also discussed the possibility of Mirziyoyeva meeting New York’s Bukharian Jewish community, as well as future visits and joint initiatives.
“Our community has such deep roots in Uzbekistan, and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to connect personally,” Sofiev Leviev said. “I look forward to the possibility of welcoming her to our community in New York and to continuing to strengthen the important relationship between the Bukharian Jewish community and Uzbekistan.”
In a post on Instagram after the meeting, Sofiev Leviev wrote that for Bukharian Jews, “the connection to Uzbekistan is deeply personal.” She noted that generations of community families trace their roots to Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara, and that both of her parents were born in Tashkent.
She also thanked Lapasov, crediting his friendship with the community and his support for making the meeting possible during an especially busy week at the UN.
In addition to leading the Presidential Administration, Mirziyoyeva serves as Co-Chair of the American-Uzbek Business and Investment Council, which works to strengthen economic and business ties between Uzbekistan and the United States. That work comes into focus later this month, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio leads a delegation of more than 100 American companies to Samarkand.
Samarkand will also host the next World Bukharian Congress, May 19–24, 2027.
By Erin Levi
The Bukharian Times English Editor
